Khan Academy vs Kumon — Comparison 2025
reviewed by Jo-ann Caballes
Updated on October 2, 2025
In the struggle for your kids’ math perfection, parents restlessly search for the best methods to make their studying smoother. Wherever you are now, you’ve probably heard about these big names: Kumon, Khan Academy & Brighterly. This review is your key to both. But which program is best among Kumon vs Khan Academy vs Brighterly? After reading the article, you’ll have all these clues.
Key points
- Khan Academy provides free study materials for mastering many subjects, including math. It shows the best results as a supplementary resource when extra practice is needed.
- Kumon has a strictly worksheet-based learning format that will suit well-organized, disciplined learners who can effectively manage their time.
- Brighterly is a leading educational platform that offers highly personalized, guided math tutoring programs ideally suited for learners of all ages and styles.
Khan Academy vs Kumon vs Brighterly: Comparison 2025
Brighterly | Khan Academy | Kumon | |
Company type | Tutoring platform for grades 1-9 | Online learning resource | The whole Kumon process can happen in online & offline settings |
Subjects offered | Math, reading & ELA | A wide range | Math and reading only |
Mode of learning | Online tailored 1:1 lessons | Through pre-recorded lessons | Online and offline worksheet-based learning |
Cost | From $17.3/lesson (3 classes/week with a 12-month learning plan) | All lessons and resources are free of charge | Starts from $150 |
Free trial |
Yes. At Brighterly, you can book a free demo lesson |
All resources are free. However, they serve more as learning support than fully-fledged guidance | No. The Kumon tutoring platform also requires a month-ahead notification for subscription cancellation |
Trustpilot rating | 4.5 | 3.4 | 4.0 |
What is Brighterly?
Brighterly is a reading and math tutoring platform for grades 1-9 that prioritizes personalized studying and gamification. It aims to improve student outcomes as quickly as possible by developing unique learning plans and teaching math through practical, real-world problems.
Why is Brighterly a worthy Kumon and Khan Academy alternative?
Brighterly may be a better math learning choice for your kid when compared to Khan Academy and Kumon for the following reasons:
- A sophisticated hiring process to make sure tutors can offer professional and enjoyable training
- Highly customized to match children with tutors who can address their needs
- Constant quality control and parent support for consistent results
- A stress-free environment for both learners and their parents
How the Brighterly one-on-one tutoring program works
At the Brighterly reading and math program, your child is at the center of the learning process. All resources and tasks for solving are carefully picked by tutors with years of experience to fill all their knowledge gaps.
Brighterly features
- Guided learning in the 1:1 format
- Free diagnostic tests [grade 1-9]
- Online lessons with experienced tutors
- Detailed analysis of student goals and needs
Guided learning in the 1:1 format
Khan Academy vs Kumon vs Brighterly have different teaching styles. While Khan Academy may feel like a free fall with no guidance and Kumon may feel too expensive, Brighterly, the tutoring platform explicitly specialized in math and reading, gives your kid proper guidance.
Brighterly math and reading tutors for kids pay close attention to their learning style and conduct stringent reviews. As a result, all attention is devoted only to your kid.
Free diagnostic tests [grade 1-9]
1st grade math test | 4th grade math test | 7th grade math test |
2nd grade math test | 5th grade math test | 8th grade math test |
3rd grade math test | 6th grade math test | 9th grade math test |
Before your kid starts learning with Brighterly, they pass tests of their strengths and weaknesses to get matched with the best-fitting math tutors. And the best thing is that you can browse the complete library of these tests for free.
Note: Additionally, you can source free reading and math worksheets from Brighterly to practice independently certain subjects, ranging from basic vowel groups to finding square roots.
Online lessons with experienced tutors
This Khan Academy vs Kumon vs Brighterly review is mostly focused on the quality of teaching, and the Brighterly platform pays close attention to providing expert tutoring with relevant resources and an interactive live process.
The main feature of Brighterly math and reading tutors? They try to make friends with your kid to create a cooperative environment where thought-sharing is encouraged, and the parent reviews show they are good at doing it!
Detailed analysis of student goals and needs
The whole studying at the Brighterly educational platform is built on feedback, and it makes it very different from Kumon and Khan Academy tutoring styles. The cooperation process at Brighterly is more personalized and focused on your kid’s needs and goals.
As the Brighterly tutor spots any changes in the child’s motivation and needs, they do their best to respond and adjust the program accordingly.
Khan Academy overview
Khan Academy is an online non-profit study service that offers learning materials in various areas: from math and reading to economics, social studies, and computer science. The Academy offers pre-recorded classes and a detailed breakdown of each module, giving kids the opportunity to learn at their own speed and mark their progress as they go.
For those wondering “Is Khan Academy good for learning math?”, the platform has many great features and delivers a positive experience to learners, which resulted in getting the 7/10 rating in the recent Khan Academy review article.
How good is Khan Academy?
Khan Academy educational platform is an excellent supplementary resource for math studies. It offers many wide range of interactive video materials for free, including quizzes, unit tests, and step-by-step guides.
However, remember that it shouldn’t be the only tool your child uses. For example, after completing tasks in Khan Academy, kids can understand the subject better if they discuss what they’ve learned with a teacher, parent, or personal tutor.
What is the minimum age for kids to enroll in Khan Academy?
The minimum age for children to register at Khan Academy is 13. Kids under that age will be asked to provide their parents’ email. That’s relevant if we’re talking about self-registration.
Note: You, as a parent, can always create an account and add your children manually. The child’s account will then be automatically linked to yours, and you can see all of their updates.
Pros and cons of Khan Academy
Considering the wide range of materials Khan Academy offers for free, the quality of the learning programs and the usability of the service are the first things that bother platform users.
This real look into the pros and cons of Khan Academy is based on Trustpilot and Reddit reviews users of the platform left in recent years.
Benefits of Khan Academy
Mostly, users appreciate the quality of Khan Academy for their interesting and well-organized questions and a strong brand reputation as a leader in transparent knowledge sharing.
➕ Suitable for all ages
➕ One of the most popular math programs these days
➕ Completely free for everyone: kids, parents, and teachers
➕ Offers an ability to practice on a daily basis
➕ Well-organized sequenced lessons
Сons of Khan Academy
Once users start relying on the platform materials for academic success, they find it hard to understand all the lessons. That’s why there are negative reviews regarding platform usability and lack of constructive feedback and guidance.
⛔Sometimes, video lessons may seem too quick
⛔ Some information is listed only in the text format
⛔ No personalized feedback or guidance
Is Khan Academy free?
All Khan Academy educational materials, including the Khan Academy Kids app, are completely free of charge. The platform lets people learning without any boundaries or charges, and this is a huge benefit for them in this Kumon vs Khan Academy vs Brighterly review.
Kumon overview
Kumon online tutoring is a well-known after-school program that uses the Kumon Method, which was created in the 1950s. For kids in grades K–12, the platform provides an organized method for improving reading and math skills.
What is Kumon?
Kumon claims to improve problem-solving and computation abilities in relation to algebra and related concepts. Additionally, the platform provides a reading program that starts with the fundamentals, such as comprehending simple sentences.
Does Kumon work?
Based on the Kumon reviews, it is especially helpful for parents searching for an additional learning program or students in need of more support.
Is Kumon worth it? Pros and cons
Kumon learning approach relies on individualized learning and self-paced progression. Theoretically, this makes their service effectiveness highly dependent on the kids’ ability and parental support.
But how does it work in practice, and is Kumon worth it for real? All these pros and cons of Kumon are based on reviews from real users on Trustpilot and Reddit.
Kumon benefits
There is no doubt “Is Kumon good?” once you take into consideration the improvements in kids’ skills and abilities. Also, the quality of their working materials and on-site learning is great.
➕ Kumon offers a math program to improve your kid’s ability to work independently
➕ Boosts attentiveness and concentration
➕ Non-traditional learning setting which helps kids better acquire school knowledge
➕ Online and offline settings
➕High-quality learning materials
What are the disadvantages of Kumon?
The key disadvantage in the list of Kumon pros and cons is that the whole process is intense and requires good autonomy and discipline. Also, its teaching approach doesn’t work well for all learners and income levels.
⛔ Expensive for some families
⛔ Sometimes repetitive and boring worksheets
⛔ Placing an accent on memorization
⛔ Lack of detailed feedback and explanations, pure practice
All in all, Kumon is worth it for parents who can afford on-site learning and kids who are capable of clarifying things independently.
Kumon price
According to Kumon cost article, monthly tuition is usually estimated individually depending on location, but typically falls within the $150–$200 range for one subject.
Yet, the real answer to the question how much does Kumon cost will be incomplete without considering extra fees. In this regard, be prepared that most locations will charge $50 for registration and $30 for learning materials.
For families interested in literacy support, Kumon Reading Program Cost shows that prices follow the same model as math, with fees varying slightly by region but staying within the same monthly range.
Is Kumon free?
According to the website, there is no chance to get Kumon for free. However, some materials (like the free placement test and introductory consultation) are free of charge.
Note: Like Kumon, Brighterly also offers math and reading tests for free.
How to choose among Khan Academy vs Kumon vs Brighterly?
Brighterly reviews
Brighterly has the highest 4.6/5 Trustpilot satisfaction rate compared to its Khan Academy and Kumon competitors and is treated as one of the best tutoring platforms for kids. Parents acknowledge personalized 1:1 courses, knowledgeable tutors, a smooth enrollment process, and access to free learning materials.
“Brighterly has truly exceeded my expectations. The tutors are patient, knowledgeable, and genuinely passionate about helping kids build confidence in math.” — Trustpilot.
With over 2,000 students joining every week, the Brighterly platform has proven to be reliable and user-friendly, with high tutoring standards. Many appreciate the fact that teachers prepare classes and exercises tailored to the learning style and needs of each student. This is especially important for kids with ADHD, dyslexia, autism, and other difficulties.
“The enrollment process was a breeze, both my children signed up. We have two very different but very competent, caring, smart tutors. They are patient and understanding of children’s different learning styles.” — Trustpilot.
The 1:1 learning format provided by Brighterly tutors enables precise progress tracking, helping parents see where their kid is doing well, and which areas need improvement. Many parents include comments about specific tutors and how well their kids have progressed with them. The most common sign of the platform effectiveness is that kids show deep interest and excitement about the upcoming classes and get better grades at school.
“My son really enjoys the way the teacher (Lee) makes learning fun and engaging. He uses creative activities that keep the kids interested while helping them understand the lessons.” — Trustpilot.
Considering there are multiple thank-you notes for particular tutors, it’s clear that Brighterly math and reading tutors for kids are real professionals with passion for teaching. Many kids remain interested in learning after the first class, thus their study plan can be considered engaging and corresponding with children’s needs.
Kumon reviews
According to the reviews, Kumon on-site and online tutoring helps kids who need to improve their English and math skills. However, despite its huge network of offline schools, the quality of teaching isn’t consistently top-notch. In particular, the worksheet-based Kumon learning system appears to lack a personalized approach, which raises doubt is Kumon helpful for students with special needs and different learning styles.
Note: In the Brighterly teaching system, you can access different reading and math worksheets for free.
“There was no teaching involved. Just worksheets that had to be completed by the child with no guidance or assistance, and lots of homework. The child never had a one-to-one session or guidance, learning tips to work it out better.” — Trustpilot.
Also, parents frequently are more involved than they plan in doing homework. They are not sure how does Kimon help as the guidance in completing tasks is almost absent, and the amounts of homework are too big for kids to complete.
“It takes a lot of assistance and effort from our part ot get out child to do Kumon. There wasn’t a massive improvement in our child’s spellings. It creates a healthy habit of studying consistency, but with great effort from our part.” — Trustpilot.
Notwithstanding these problems, there still is a fair level of satisfaction with Kumon’s teaching methods. Many parents leave good reviews of the staff and the quality of study materials. There are nice reviews of how well-structured the process is, and that it’s very convenient for parents to receive review sheets showing how their kids are progressing.
“Staff at Kumon Bridgend have been nothing but patient and supportive of my child as they started learning with them. The planning of lessons and work material has been very good and we are seeing my child develop and progress as the work material becomes more complex.” — Trustpilot.
Looking at Kumon vs Khan Academy reviews, it’s clear that Kumon is the best fit for parents who want their kids to socialize and enjoy offline education, and also those struggling with a systematic approach to learning.
Khan Academy reviews
Overall, Khan Academy users enjoy the structured system the platform offers. People appreciate the transparency of educational materials and claim that they have reached great progress thanks to the platform. Some middle schoolers even state they have learned about the Academy during their SAT classes, and the platform really helped them excel in the final tests.
“The site has given me tremendous value, and it’s one of the few ethical organizations out there.” — Reddit.
At the same time, many Trustpilot reviews admit the lack of interactiveness or gamification in the learning process on the platform. Their website sometimes faces technical issues, and people at times find its usability confusing.
“At the website, they provide no easy explanation for formulas or ANYTHING. If you are only able to afford this, it is helpful. Otherwise, it’s extremely badly organized and not as good as any textbook I have EVER seen. Now on top of everything else, they are having crappy technical issues.” — Trustpilot.
Lastly, some reviews claim that the learning materials are too long and that the learning methods aren’t as good as they could be.
“The videos are far too long and use techniques which are too long-winded. The chat in between is tedious. My son switches off from it straight away — he HATES it.” — Trustpilot.
So how does Khan Academy compare to other learning tools? It’s greatest advantage that it’s free and offers plenty of courses in different areas of study. However, parents frequently complain about insufficient learning programs and non-interactive content in their reviews.
Note: So, which program is best among Kumon vs Khan Academy vs Brighterly? I’d recommend Brighterly for top-notch personalized tutoring, Kumon for on-site systematic learning, and Khan Academy for plenty of free materials in multiple learning areas
Conclusion
As you can see, both competitors have strong points in the Kumon vs Khan Academy opposition. Khan is more about handy extracurricular self-learning tools, while the Kumon online tutoring platform is about memorization and self-discipline. But you know what? None of them will present that valuable feedback and bring the social element to your child’s lessons.
The greatest benefits of the platforms overviewed
- Kumon is a great help for learners who seek socialization and want to deepen advanced skills like critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
- Khan Academy vs competitors gets a recognition as a platform covering multiple areas of studying with free materials of a decent quality.
- Brighterly is a great alternative for all the levels, offering plenty of free materials along with high-quality tutoring for an affordable price starting from $17.3 per hour.
So, which of these should you choose next: Kumon, Khan Academy or Brighterly? In most cases, Brighterly is the best choice! Book 1st free class today and see how this platform can improve the learning game!